The Untold
by neiith
Summary: Sparrow has put Lucien and his mad plan to death. The spire has granted his wish and the country is finally at peace. Now Sparrow must prepare his children for their destinies - to take his throne. This is the Untold.
1. Unchained

**A/N - **Yay for my first fanfic!  
I always wondered what happened between Fable 2 and Fable 3. This is my interpretation of how everything panned out.  
Contructive critisism is always welcome!  
_-This has been edited so that Sparrow can talk. It is incredibly hard to write when the main character is a mute.-_

xoA

* * *

Sparrow's eyes lingered reflectively from card to card. Each one had its temptations, but each one left him broken. Was it the guilt which made him shatter so? He had not made a decision and his time was slowly ticking away.

No matter how much he wanted the wealth of the third card, a life was priceless and no amount of gold could pay for the hole that had stayed burning in his heart since the night of his sister's death. The people of Albion would look upon him in shame and spite, spitting and hissing at him when he walked through the streets, humiliated by the ever hateful faces that were once his friends.

There were thousands of innocents trapped in the first card. It would only take a nod of a head to free them all and see them run gleefully back to their families who undoubtedly waited with faces that would lit up at the sight of their loved one's return. Faithful followers would trail him as he walked proudly down the alleyways. Albion would forever be in young Sparrow's debt.

His soft hands reached out to the card that rested so peacefully in the center. His wife, his child, his sister's eyes stared longingly through the cracks. _"Release me…" _They all echoed each other in a chorus so heart breaking, Sparrow could not bear it. He looked to anywhere but the card, shaking his hands, trying not to weep. But, was it worth sacrificing 3 people for thousands? And the people? Would they understand?

Sparrow had made some highly questionable decisions in the past. He was a man with many faults, which he did not cover up with the selflessness of a saint. Sparrow was a Hero, but a man nevertheless. Was it so hard to empathize?

"I choose love." Sparrow's words proved to be much more confident than his cracked and damaged voice sounded to Theresa, the blind seer who had been watching his every move patiently.

"Are you sure this is the path you wish to take?" She raised an eyebrow.

"It is." Sparrow nodded.

"Indeed. A warm welcome awaits you at home. And any who might declare who selfish or callous, and who themselves lost family to this place, will know that given such a place they might well have done the same." Sparrow wasn't reassured, but he did not regret his judgment as he thought he would.

He faded from the pure whiteness and found himself back in the Spire in the dark depths of the spire with the three Heroes. It gave him a strange sensation of warmth with he had never experienced in the spire before. For the ten years which he had suffered, trapped in the spire, he had only felt a resounding coldness and bitterness and nothing more from the tall, ominous building in the distance of Bowerstone Market. An echo of what the past had destroyed when the first wish was made. But, being which people that had become so familiar of him, so fond of him, perhaps with the small exception of Reaver, made him feel comfort which he hadn't since his sister's voice waking him in the mornings despite their poverty.

Sparrow was caught in a daydream whilst Theresa and the Heroes talked amongst themselves. Of what, he wasn't sure. He could only think of his sister and his family and even his loyal dog which had lain down his life for the love of his owner. He had the best family in Albion, no matter what others would say about his wish, he would always choose what he had before Lucien's sick dream could catch them.

"No, I'm done." Hammer's voice smashed through Sparrow's mind. "I know why we got attacked in the cave the day we met. You brought those hollow men in with you." Sparrow was shocked.

"That is quite the accusation." He snarled. "If you wish to be a fool you may think that I simply wanted some training practice, so I indeed endangered both our lives."

Reaver was amused. "The boy speaks the truth." Sparrow rolled his eyes. He had saved the land from a fate with condemned them all to death and yet he was still a 'boy' in Reaver's eyes.

"I meant merely that two monks would have found nothing, but a warrior finds battle always."

"There is some wisdom in your words, but I did not attempt to harm you. You should know better than to assume that." His voice was softer, but still dazed with Hammer's boldness.

As the Heroes left one by one, some part of Sparrow longed for them to stay. They were his friends still and he saved all that was dearest to him by choosing the ones he loved to be saved, and yet they were not saved. Theresa turned to him.

"Now, it is time for you to leave. The world is for you to enjoy. But, the spire is mine." Shivers went down his back. Sparrow didn't know whether to interpret a threat or something else. He nodded lightly, rather intimidated by the woman who he once trusted with his life. Now, he wasn't certain of whether she meant him well. "Begone." And almost as if he had entered a deep sleep to which he had just woken up, Sparrow found himself in the dock of Oakfield.

The sudden light was blinding. Sparrow blinked a few times and squinted. To his delight, when his eyes had adjusted he saw his dog, looking as happy as always, barking and jumping at his owner. It mirrored the time when he was unchained from the spire after what felt like eternal damnation.

Moments like that were most dear to him and would stay forever with him. Always.


	2. Only For You

**A/N** - Chapter 2!  
It took me quite a while to get this one done, although it's similar in length to the first chapter.  
Hope you like it!  
I don't own any recognisable content - no copyright infringement intended.  
Javin is now co-writing this book with me by providing very useful (and very good) ideas for the characters and plot.

xoA

* * *

Sparrow arrived at Homestead, his dog barking excitedly at the all too familiar sights and sounds of home. Sparrow's heart was racing. Never had he been so glad to arrive home and see his family. Alex was as usually doing some sort of job or other on the farm, but today instead he caught a quick glimpse of her looking out of a window which the same lovesick expression half-hidden through her gentle features.

She looked around the glowing forest of the Demon Door and somewhere amongst the leaves was her husband, her Hero.

Sparrow beamed as his wife opened the door and ran to him with immense speed. He had never seen her run so fast. Sparrow caught her as she flung her arms around him in the most amorous embrace. Sparrow laughed with his wife in his arms. He had never felt such love for her since the birth of his firstborn son, Logan.

"How I have missed you!" Alex cried, tears of joy glistening brightly in her eyes.

"I love you, Alex." He told her, holding her close.

"You saved me over Albion." She understood. "I am always in your debt."

"No, I made the decision. Please, be thankful." Sparrow said, wearily.

"I am forever grateful, Sparrow." She knew what he had to commit for her to live, if he didn't wish to talk about the matter, so be it.

A child's laughter burst through the silence. "Daddy!" The infant called out to his father.

"Logan." Sparrow bent down and opened his arms to him. He lifted his child up when he was finally in reach, Logan's head fitting neatly into the side of his neck.

It was the most beautiful sight, but there was no-one to see it.

"Rose!" Sparrow exclaimed, her name cutting through the quiet like a cold knife in the dark.

"Your sister?" Alex had heard vaguely of Rose, the tales did not have a happy ending. "Find her, Sparrow."

"But, Katherine?" Sparrow asked of his daughter, who was merely a few months old when Lucien cut her life short. She had most definitely received the short straw. She was very important to him, even more so now that someone had tampered with her safety. "How is she?"

"She is upstairs and she is fine. Stop worrying. Find Rose, Sparrow, I am sure you are very eager." She told no lie. The Hero had been apart from his sister so many years.

"I'll come back." He passed Logan across to her and left his family once more. Logan waved his father keenly goodbye a grin so innocent and naïve set neatly on his small face.

Sparrow found the task harder than he originally planned. 18 years of sorrow and mourning had worn away the memory of Rose's face. His head fell into his hands. No-one would recognize Rose's face on a poster if it was not Rose. The loud noises in the inn did not aid his concentration either. After 3 days of searching for the girl, he was beginning to lose hope.

_Was I cheated? _He questioned. Theresa did promise him her sister, and yet he could find nothing of her. Neither a hint nor a trace, she could have remained dead to him and nothing would have changed.

"Fancy a beer, love?" A young bartender asked him, her rough voice chasing away his thoughts.

"No, thank you." Sparrow sighed jadedly.

"That your girlie friend, lovey?" She asked, scratching her chin at the picture that Sparrow had tried his best to draw.

"No, actually it's my sister."

"Eh? Yer drawin' yer sister?"

"Have you seen her?" He asked, becoming desperate.

"I 'aven't seen the face, but those eyes are familiar."

"Really?"

"I dunno. I think she was 'eaded for Old Town." The girl shrugged.

"Old Town?" _Why would she be there? _Rose didn't know where he was? Sparrow wasn't quite sure how resurrection worked in this circumstance.

Being in the Cow and Corset, Old Town wasn't too far away at all, his sister could have thought that he would stay where he can grown from his youth. "Thank you, my lady, you have been most helpful." He should try and find her, whether the girl was mistaken or correct.

Sparrow arrived in Old Town, his feet beginning to ache from all the walking he had been doing recently. He hoped that his sister would be happy to see him. It certainly was a lot of effort trying to track her down, at least.

He returned to where the shack and wood of his youth once lay, where his memories blanketed in a thin, soft layer of freezing snow that chilled his winter nights and haunted his dreams. If Rose were to be anywhere it was here, yet she was nowhere to be seen. She seemed to escape Sparrow no matter where he looked. The wood had probably rotted and his home had lain untouched in the darkest corner of Bowerstone.

"Rose?" He called out to her.

There was no reply.

He let out a frustrated groan. The bartender had probably mistaken his sister for another. Theresa had told him lies.

He lugged his legs like dead burdens through the rest of Old Town, his head hanged in miserable defeat. _I could be able to make it back to Bowerstone to spend the night… _Sparrow pondered. It was not too long after hopes of seeing his family in the next few days, when he stumbled across an old friend. "Derrick!" He practically shouted it. He had helped the old guard in a time of need when his sister was still walking alive. Sparrow found his arrest warrants that apparently were of great importance to the now titled Sherriff.

"'Ello there little Sparra." He said gruffly. The years must have battered the life that once leapt in his voice.

"Have you seen my sister?" Derrick was never to found out the truth of his sister, it was not his burden to bear. As far as he was aware, the young girl had grown up and stayed clear of Old Town.

"Indeed I have." Sparrow sighed in relief and victory. "She said she was goin' to pop off to Rookridge. I think she was lookin' for you." He pointed a fleshy finger to Sparrow.

"Rookridge?" His eyes widened in horror. Rookridge was renowned for bandits stalking its baron towns in search of innocent pray. "You didn't warn her of the bandits?"

"I did, in fact many people did. She wasn't going to listen, Sparra." He shook his head and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"You think I have time for this, Sherriff? You are a fool to stay in my way!" He snapped, pushing the hand off his shoulder. The Sherriff looked hurt, but Sparrow had no time for hurt. He broke into a very fast pace for Rookridge.

Her sister had died once; he wouldn't let it happen again.


	3. Shackled

**A/N** - Here it is! Chapter 3.  
I was surprised how quickly I got this written, actually. Quite the opposite of Chapter 2.  
I do not own Fable II or Fable III - no copyright infrigement intended.  
Woo for the first taste of action! I hope it's improving.  
Javin's ideas are also included in this chapter.

xoA

* * *

Sparrow started panting heavily as he reached the highland of Rookridge, a nasty little hamlet infested with bandits looking for target practice. He remembered the first time he had visited Rookridge and fought off the bandits that lied within. They did not prove to be such a challenge, but Rose was different. Her body lay dead for so many years, and now she was alive. Had she matured? Or did she still have the mind of a child? Needless to say, Rose was never immature even when they lay penniless on the streets she tried her best to find food for them both. She was a brilliant sister. Flawless, now that he thought about it. She gave him such hope in a time of such fear, now it was his turn.

He crossed a few turnings, surprised about the shortage of renegades. _Sometimes, finding enemies is bad, but searching for them is much worse. _Perhaps she had made it safely across, although she thought that he would be there so would she not wait? Nothing made much sense anymore. Sparrow was armored – were anything to ambush him, he would be perfectly prepared, but Rose wouldn't be. She was not a warrior, she was a fighter, but her weapons were not blades and pistols. She used stamina, wit, intelligence, something that many people in Albion lacked. Rose was special, but it was not like her to wander so aimlessly through such a dangerous part of the world.

In the distance, Sparrow spotted what looked like a bandit camp. It was baron. There were no bandits outside guarding their territory, only an open gate. He would not fall into their trap as their victim; he made that mistake when he came across his first human enemy – Thag leader of a bandit clan near Bower Lake. He was ensnared for them to run him through, but in fact they were the ones slain that day.

He climbed up a nearby tree to get a closer look of what would welcome him were he to enter freely. Instead of seeing renegades lined up to slaughter intruders, he saw a slave trading camp. There were only four or five victims in the cages, but one of them wore rags for clothes and she stood shackled and barefoot as she pulled desperately at the bars which kept her imprisoned.

It was Rose.

Sparrow tried hard not to gasp as he saw his older sister, desperately trying to release herself, the bandits sneering at her. He dropped down from the tree. Trap or not, his sister finally depended on him and he would not disappoint.

He drew out his revolver and tried to make a stealthy approach toward the camp. Sparrow stood just out of sight, his back pressed to the side of the gate and fired a headshot at one of the rebels, quickly snatching his arm back into himself, keeping hidden. He listened as the bandits were taken by surprise.

"Isaac?" One of them asked the now dead man. "He's been murdered!"

"Go and check it out, then fool!" Another hissed. Reluctantly, Sparrow heard footsteps coming his way. He held his breath as the bandit walked straight past him, facing forward as the Hero escaped his gaze.

"All clear…" The bandit said, dazed.

Sparrow ran behind him, clearly insight of the other bandits and pulled the rebel's neck, which was now in his firm grasp, swiftly to the right listening for the wet crack of a broken neck and a lost life. Sparrow didn't let the body go, but grabbed onto his clothes and pulled the bandit in front of him to shield him from the gunfire of the dead man's brethren. He shot over the man's shoulder as the group fired at one of their own kind.

After many shots, the corpse was beaten so badly, it became no use to Sparrow. He threw it to one side and began to block the bullets using the tip of his sword and ducking underneath them. He had wiped out most of the camp, but there were still two bandits left. One was most obviously the leader, he could tell by the way he dressed and threatened Sparrow with fantasies of his carcass.

Sparrow ran with vast speed to the barb which the bandits protected their region with and begun to course his Will through his glowing lines and into the palms of his hands, channeling the energy. He elbowed down one of the shielding spikes as it fell on the remaining bandit. Sparrow threw shock at the leader and while he was shuddering with the spell, he withdrew his blade and threw it as a knife toward the leader. He watched as it hit his heart and the blast sent him pinned against his wall of splintered wood, his dead and cold eyes staring seemingly at Sparrow, his killer.

Sparrow could hear nothing. The slaves were silent. _No! It can't be! _Were they dead? He ran into the camp, his heart pounding once again.

"Sparrow!" A cracked woman's voice called out to him. He spun around to find his sister. Or he thought it was his sister. The girl was not much older than him. She wore her hair long, flowing gracefully down her back despite how dirty she was. Her face and body was caked in mud and dirt, her skin bleeding through fresh wounds. She was an utter mess, but she still proved to be exceedingly beautiful. Her once green eyes had faded into a washed-out colour of hazel from the years of grief and pity which she had to die through.

"Rose?" The girl beamed the most stunning grin, a smile that belonged to only one person; his sister. He went to the slaver's body where his sword stuck into his heart and pulled it out, watching as the corpse crumbled to the floor, eyes still saddened and open. He came back to Rose's cage and opened the door by putting pressure on the bars. His steel was stronger than the cheap metal that slavers used to cage innocents. Once the door was open, the other thanked him he gave them smiles, but Rose did not leave, she just stared with a slight smile. She seemed to be the only slave shackled. "Why do you look at me so?" He asked, eyeing her once they were alone.

"I am not allowed to look at my brother?" She laughed slightly and sounded much more adult since his childhood, but that would make perfect sense. Sparrow shrugged. The girl was right, of course.

"Why are you bound?" Rose finally left the cage to answer his question.

"I did not submit myself quite as easily as the rest…" She trailed off, her smile beginning to fade. Sparrow could not watch her sister become troubled. He left it. Her shackles were not metal but a rotting rope.

"Stay still." He told her and took his blade to the rope, cutting through it speedily. Had she moved, he could have injured her severely.

"Thank you." She smiled again. Sparrow looked up at her and smiled back. He wasn't sure whether he had been too formal with her. Before he could react she had pulled him into a squeeze, he could feel her skin's warmth even with her lack of clothes. He hugged back, loving his sister move than he did before. He felt something wet on her back and she flinched with it. He let go off her and looked at his hand which was now sodden with blood.

"What is this?" He asked her, walking around to her back. A rather small injury was excessively bleeding. "How did this happen?" He was becoming angry.

"You think I handed myself over to them, Sparrow?" She seemed to repeat her previous words.

"Had I known…" Sparrow looked over to the dead bodies. "I would have killed them slower." He frowned.

"What is done is done, brother. I appreciate it. Really, I do, but do not bare such hatred."

"They could have murdered you! You would have never been free again, I now I realize they mistreated you further! Surely, you can't defend those cowards?"

"Let's just go home Sparrow." She was worn down, too tired to argue. Sparrow said those things only because he loved her so, but she did not want to pull badness out of goodness. He sighed.

"I'm sorry." He confessed. "I did not mean to distress you."

"I am not, little Sparrow." She said.

They began walking. Rose was alive, and that was all he cared about for now. He told Rose of his family and his adventures that he had been on, but she already seemed to know.

Perhaps he hadn't been alone for so many years after all.


	4. Betrayed By Fate

**A/N **- I am so sorry that it's so late! And it's not that long at all either, but this was quite a challenging chapter to write for me.  
Please keep reading! I'll try and get the next chapter up sooner, though.

xoA

* * *

Sparrow was speechless. It was dusk in Oakfield, the sun fading away into the trees as it shone through the leaves. It truly was a beautiful backlit scene, while his dog chased his tail. The world was innocent. As pretty as a picture, but he wasn't sure if his day had been devastated with the news he had just received.

_King of Albion? Me?_

He wasn't sure about it at all. It made perfect sense, yet he had somehow forgotten about this possibility.

_Lord Lucien is dead. Gone. _He thought. _That leaves me King?_

"I have no claim to the throne." Sparrow said, blandly.

"Don't ask me…" Alex started. "I only found this letter shortly after you left." She passed it to him. He began to read:

_**Sparrow,**_

_**You must be aware of Lord Lucien's death. Your actions, although mighty, have left quite a significant problem. The throne is empty, and someone needs to fill it, and fill it soon. This is where I was hoping that you would come in.**_

_**Albion needs a ruler, and as you were the savior of our land, you should have the honor and great task of becoming the King of Albion.**_

_**The coronation will take place on Thursday.**_

_**Please, do not cast your kingdom away, Hero.**_

_**Truly,**_

_**Natalie.**_

Sparrow snorted. "Do I have no say in this?" He examined the letter once again. It sounded like something Theresa would tell him, although perhaps a little more desperate. "Who is Natalie?" He raised an eyebrow at the name. It rang no bells.

"I have never heard of her…" Alex pondered.

Sparrow turned to Rose. She had been staying quiet for the majority of the evening. "Well, I have no idea." Her tone was quite defensive.

"No, I believe you." He said and looked back to the letter. "She must be of some importance if she can decide who is King."

"Sparrow, your coronation is in two days. You must prepare." Alex pointed out.

Sparrow had to admit that he was not thrilled about the situation he had landed himself in and so that night he lay awake knowing that he had no choice but to kill Lucien or Albion, his Kingdom, would perish as a sacrifice because of what he hadn't or had failed to do.

He didn't regret the choices he made. Even the last at the Spire, he wouldn't change what he did, but all these choices lead him to a destiny.

What would life have been without that night at Castle Fairfax? He wondered. Be him hero or not, he could have kept his head down and watched Albion shatter as it did before with the first wish, but he couldn't stand aside and see his home's last breath of life. Maybe that alone made him worthy enough to be a King.

He rested back on his bed and read the letter once more.

_**Please, do not cast your kingdom away, Hero.**_

Who was this Natalie person? How did she have the authority? During all of his travels he had never come across anyone named Natalie. It puzzled him. He had no claim whatsoever to the throne. Nobody did. Did Albion need a King? A King risked the death of his people and the loss of his land, would they trust another with no royal blood? And he sacrificed so many people for so few. Although, like Theresa said, they most likely would have made the same choice, would their hearts be so cold as to be sickened with grief? Lucien showed that his dearest ones were worth a kingdom.

Perhaps he and Sparrow weren't so different after all.

They had both sacrificed Albion for their loved ones. Whereas, Sparrow had the power to bring them back, Lucien was willing to destroy his country just to get to his wife and his Amelia.

Sparrow frowned. Amelia reminded him so much of his own daughter Kate. Both their lives were cut short at such a young age. They had a future of possibilities ahead of them, and fate betrayed them like a blade to their hearts.

But, no. Kate was murdered by a madman who will never haunt her dreams again. Sparrow would be sure of that. No harm would come to her as long as he lived.

It was an unspoken pledge.


	5. Crowns And Mead

**A/N **- Well, I got it up as soon as I promised... or pretty soon anyway.  
I know it could have been longer, but I'm happy with it.

xoA

* * *

"All hail King of Albion."

The throne room burst into a loud uproar of flying hats, jumping civilians and victorious yells. It was the perfect way to welcome a King to his throne, but Sparrow couldn't help but feel out of place. He was a chivalrous man, but he was irresponsible. Albion may need a leader, but it needs a good one, and Sparrow couldn't say whether he was ready to submit to such a title as this one.

He looked through the tall windows letting in the lights and rays of the new sun. There were people parading through the streets - a magnificent spectacle. The people were so sure and certain in their new ruler. It gave him strength, but much weakness simultaneously. He was comforted and very flattered that they would put so much faith into him, but he wished that he could belong to them. He was no longer an entirely free man. There were so many expectations now and so many boundaries. Sparrow was raised on the streets and those streets are where his heart lives.

_I miss you. _What he was addressing with those three words was vague to him, but something that he had was now missing, and he mourned its loss.

As they would say, you can take the pauper out of the streets, but you cannot, however, take the streets out of the pauper.

Even with all his nostalgia, he had to admit that the castle was utterly breath-taking. The gardens were lush with the greenest of grass and most beautiful flowers and buds. At night you would see the wild-life emerge from wherever they would hide when the sun shone in the sky. It was as mystical as his home within the Demon Door, which was a lot to say, as his previous home existed in a world which lay contentedly within a magical realm, given generously by an ancient and enchanted threshold bribed by a jaded Hero.

There were many people there to congratulate him. He had grown tired of their continuous drones of their best wishes after a while. There was nothing interesting to discuss with them. They were all the same to him.

"Excuse me, my Lord." Sparrow felt a soft woman's touch on his right shoulder. He turned to face the girl who had approached him. He was taken aback by her. Her hair was a beautiful colour of light blonde, the waves hanging gracefully by her shoulders. Her skin was a radiant peachy shade and her eyes were sweet chocolate brown. She wore a cream gown with intricate decoration and ornamentation. She was a sight for sore eyes to say the slightest. He broke from his trance.

"I'm sorry; I don't believe that we have been introduced." He told her.

"Not formally at least," She began. "I am Natalie." Sparrow raised an eyebrow. Whatever he expected Natalie to look like, it wasn't this. "You received my letter I presume?"

"I did indeed. You didn't exactly break it to me lightly." He said, only half-joking.

"Yes well, when Albion needs something done, beating around the bush is out of the question." She said, insipidly. "Although, I'm sure you yourself have learnt that first hand, sir." She bowed her head with respect.

"It is the truth nonetheless." He sighed. "Tell me, Natalie," She flinched as he said her name. He took a glass of mead from one of the servers. "You have the power of crowning me, though I have been all across the land and there has been not a trace of you. Why is this?" The girl was able to tell him that he was king whether he liked it or not, he cared not for small talk and beverages with her.

She hesitated. "You wish to know of me, sir?" Natalie eyed him.

"Well… yes. I suppose I do." He could tell that she was reluctant to answer him.

"And there has been no trace of me?"

"No."

"Good." She smiled slightly as came closer to him and whispered in his ear. "All will be revealed, Sparrow." With that she took off in a brisk stride.

He watched her leave and took a sip of his drink. She walked with such dignity, such grace. She really was an enchanting woman, but she was so closed, so mysterious and passionate.

"Who was she?" A cold voice sliced the silence. Alex tapped her foot in jealousy.

"Natalie." He looked back, but she was gone.

"Did you ask her why she sent you the letter?"

"Something along those lines, yes."

"And what did she say?" Alex asked, curiously.

"She will tell me later." Sparrow said. "She is nothing for you to worry about. The girl is practically invisible to Albion." Though his words her harsh to Natalie, they were also true. He had been around Albion many times and no-one had even uttered her name.

"I know." Alex reassured him, stealing a kiss on the cheek. "Come on. I think that is quite enough for one night."


	6. Roots

**A/N** - Well as promised, Chapter 6.  
It didn't take quite as long as I expected it to.  
I'm sorry if the layout looks a litte different to the previous chapters, I'm writing this from a different laptop than usual.  
I don't own Fable II, Fable III, or any content that you may recognise.

xoA

* * *

Sparrow looked over Bower Lake. It was a warm day despite the sun being hidden behind a duvet of clouds. The trees whistled in the gentle breeze and the water lapped over the warm sand. Albion was a beautiful kingdom in the right places.

"Ah, yes." A recognisable voice echoed through the air. Natalie wore a black hood over her pastel pink dress, her beauty glowing over the scenery. "A King dressed as a commoner. Sparrow. I was wondering when we were to meet again." She smiled. He looked down to his attire. She was right; his clothing choices hadn't changed since a crown was placed upon his head.

"A commoner dressed as a Queen." He countered. "Is there something you want from me, Natalie?" She seemed to pursue him for long enough.

"On the contrary, my Lord, I believe you want something from me." He did remember the last time they spoke. She would explain her absence from the lips of drunks in the Cow and Corset. "And what makes you so certain that I am a commoner?"

"Are you not?" He asked. "Or is that what you are here to explain to me?"

"Have you been thinking of me?"

"Yes." He replied bluntly. He was becoming tired of her disinclination to answer his questions.

"What are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling that you had your eyes set on me long before you sent me that letter."

"Right again, Sparrow." She laughed slightly.

"Are you going to answer my question? Or I will refuse to answer yours." He looked her up and down. "I am intrigued by you."

"If the King wants to know about me then I have no choice but to answer." She said. "My past is not particularly exciting. My father was in a deep depression and sought out a good distraction." She looked gravely at Sparrow. He understood.

"Did you ever find out why he was so unhappy?"

"For many years, the explanation escaped me, but I found out very recently that his wife and daughter had passed away with an illness."

Sparrow eyed her in disbelief. _No. It can't be…_

"And that he recently joined them, as the forth Hero has slain him." Sparrow was speechless. "I am Natalie Fairfax."

"You… are Lucien's daughter?" He was not sure what else there was to say to her.

"Is that so hard to believe?" Her eyes seemed to plead him not to turn away from her.

"But, you have a claim to the throne. You should be Queen, Natalie." She turned away from him, so not to see his face.

"And Albion would have a bastard Queen whose father nearly destroyed the kingdom and whose mother was an awful whore!" She turned back to him, this time her face was full of spite and hatred. Sparrow could see that the revulsion was not for him, but for her own roots. "Do you see now why I hide my face to the world?"

"You are not who you come from, Natalie." He placed a hand on her shoulder. She seemed to relax when his hand reached her. "I still think you the same."

"Really?" She looked up to him. "And what is that?"

"Why are you so interested in what I think of you?" He asked her. She always seemed to be very concerned in what he thought.

"You are the King. Of course I care."

"You are the only one who cares." Sparrow replied quickly.

"Then perhaps you should think twice about who you seem to invest so much faith into." Her voice was not sharp, but stern. Natalie really did care about what her King thought of her, what he remembered when he heard her name. As much as it flattered him, the girl confused him. Who was she addressing when she said those words?

"Who exactly are you referring to?"

"Nobody in particular." She told him.

"Then why do you question those which I love?"

"Well, do they not wish to please you?"

"You don't have to please others all the time."

"I do." She said without haste, her voice and face growing cold once more.

"No, you don't. If they were to be anybody in the entire kingdom who had to please others, it would be me, even more so now." Before his coronation, Sparrow never astounded the people of Albion with his heroic benevolence or disgusted them with his pure tyranny. He lived his life as any other man would, and why not? There were no written boundaries or limitations of being a Hero that made him rethink his previous choices. "Besides, if no-one knows who you father is why are you continuously trying to impress everybody?"

"It is only certain people who I trust and try to impress." She looked at him sultrily. Sparrow eyed her.

"That is speaking well out of term, Miss Fairfax." He scolded her. The girl was beautiful and had a way with Sparrow, but he was married and owed it to Alex to stay faithful.

"Don't address me that way." She said, obviously referring to 'Fairfax'.

"Whether you like it or not, that is your surname and everybody has a right to address you in a formal manner."

"Would you have said that ten minutes ago, my Lord?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"You seemed to treat me differently before I…"

"You are paranoid." He told her.

"Excuse me?"

"You are. You tell me your secrets only to judge every move I make afterwards. I would rather you kept them to yourself then to sacrifice our friendship, Natalie. You can trust me not to feed the disloyal malicious gossip." She just looked down. She knew it was the truth and Sparrow could tell. "You seem threatened by me."

"You don't know the truth, Sparrow." She began to walk away, but he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a passionate kiss. It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt much longer.

He wasn't sure why he did it, but just knew that the truth which she spoke of was her love for him. She made it incredibly obvious by the way she was always trying to impress him and wanted to know what she thought of her. The sultry smirks, the past which was always meant to stay hidden. Natalie would only willingly share it with one Hero. They broke away.

"I'm sorry." He confessed. He had just reproached her for speaking outside her boundaries, and yet showed her affection only a matter of moments later.

They looked at each other, both in a slight shock.

"I must be leaving." Natalie pulled herself together and left him in Bower Lake, still flying from the overwhelming love that he had felt for her.

But, someone was lurking in the back of his mind and Alex did not deserve that place.


End file.
